5
Employment Skills
In order to determine what jobs you can apply for, you need to know if you have the skills and experience that match
what an employer is looking for in an employee. Skills and experience can be learned in a variety of sengs, including
employment, educaon, hobbies and volunteering. This secon will help you idenfy your transferable skills, so skills
and job content skills as they relate to applying for jobs.
Transferable Skills
Review this list of transferable skills and check all the skills you have.
Remember: skills can be learned in a variety of sengs, including employment, educaon, hobbies and volunteering.
act or perform
adapt to situaons
advise
analyze data
ancipate problems
appraise service
arrange funcons
assemble products
assess situaons
audit records
be detail-oriented
be precise
be responsible
budget money
buy products or services
calculate numbers
chart informaon
check for accuracy
classify informaon
collect money
communicate
compare data
compile stascs
complete data entry
compose technical wring
compute data
conceptualize
confront others
construct buildings
consult with others
contact others
control costs
control people
control situaons
converse with others
coordinate acvies
copy informaon
correspond with others
create
delegate
develop
develop policy
direct others
dispense informaon
distribute
dra
drive
edit
encourage
enforce
esmate
evaluate
examine
exchange
exhibit
expand
expedite
explain
explore
facilitate meengs
le records
nd informaon
x or repair
follow direcons
follow through
fundraising
gather informaon
gather materials
give customer service
guide or lead
handle complaints
handle equipment
handle money
handle public relaons
help
idenfy soluons
illustrate
implement
improve
improvise
inform
iniate acons
inspect products
install
instruct
interpret data
interview
inventory
invesgate
lead
learn quickly
li
listen
locate informaon
make decisions
manage a business
manage people
manage projects
measure boundaries
mediate problems
meet deadlines
meet the public
memorize informaon
mentor others
monitor progress
movate others
move materials
negoate
nurture
observe
operate equipment
order goods/supplies
organize data
organize people
organize tasks
own/operate business
(connued)
6
Transferable Skills (continued)
perceive needs
persuade others
plan
prepare materials
process informaon
process materials
program
promote
recommend
recruit
reduce costs
refer people
rehabilitate people
remember informaon
report informaon
research
resolve problems
retrieve informaon
review
schedule
sell
set goals or objecves
signal
solve problems
speak in public
supervise
support
survey
tabulate
take instrucons
think ahead
think logically
track
track informaon
train or teach
translate
travel
troubleshoot
type
understand
unite people
update informaon
upgrade
use hand/eye coordinaon
use words correctly
verify
visit
visualize
volunteer
work quickly
write procedures
write promoonal material
write proposals
write reports
Soft Skills
So skills are employment traits that help an employer decide if your temperament suits a parcular job. They are
clues to how well you might adapt and problem solve. So skills can include me management, honesty, punctuality,
eciency, physical strength and movaon. Review this list of so skills and check all the skills you have.
ambious
asserve
capable
competent
creave
decisive
discreet
eager
ecient
energec
enthusiasc
exible and adaptable
friendly
good aendance
good communicaon
hard-working
helpful
humorous
methodical
modest
open-minded
opmisc
organized
original
paent
persistent
posive atude
praccal
problem-solving skills
reliable
resourceful
results-oriented
self-condent
sincere
strong work ethic
tacul
team player
tenacious
thriy
me management skills
tolerant
trustworthy
works well under pressure
7
Skill Statements
Once you have idened your transferable skills, you can develop them into transferable skill statements that you can
use in an interview to show employers that you meet the qualicaons of the job. A transferable skill statement gives a
descripon of the skill; an example of a me in your work, home or educaon when you used the skill; and a statement
that connects your skill to the job you are applying for. Review the examples below, and then get started developing your
own transferable skill statements.
Skill statement 1 — Budget money: “I can keep nancial records.
Example: “As a full-me homemaker, I handled all of the family money, including savings and checking, without ever
bouncing a check or failing to pay a bill on me.
Connecon: “If I could handle the family nances so well for twenty years while taking care of all of the other
household chores, I will be a good account clerk for you.
Skill statement 2 — Organize tasks: “I am a well-organized person.
Example: “At my last job I received assignments from mulple people, so I had to organize my me and priorize to
sasfy everyone.
Connecon: “If I could handle that confusion, I can deal with the organizaonal demands of this job.
Skill statement 3 — Explain: “I can explain informaon clearly.
Example: “Whenever anyone at work had trouble understanding a procedure, they came to me for an explanaon.
Connecon: “I learn quickly, train new workers and help others.
Skill: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Statement: _________________________________________________________________________________
Example: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Connecon: ________________________________________________________________________________
Skill: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Statement: _________________________________________________________________________________
Example: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Connecon: ________________________________________________________________________________
Job Content Skills
Job content skills are related to job-specic cercaons, licenses, tools and tasks. Each industry tends to have its own
vocabulary of required skills. An example of a job content skill is a Class A CDL for a truck driver. Other examples include
prociency with QuickBooks, Microso Excel or OSHA or having a pharmacy technician license. List all job content skills
that apply to you:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________